February 19: Divine Wisdom

February 19: Divine Wisdom

The Lord’s message, through Moses, was to “take no revenge and cherish no grudge . . . love your neighbor as yourself.” (Leviticus 19:18). We might think, “Great in theory, but not always realistic!” Then Jesus in today’s Gospel goes even further. Take a slap in the face and then turn the other cheek? Treat enemies the same as friends? Again, we’re tempted to think that those are nice ideals, but not very practical in the “real world.” Paul echoes Jesus when he tells the Corinthians that what passes for human wisdom is absurdity to God. Divine wisdom casts sunshine on the good and the bad, showers rain on the honest and the dishonest—without distinction. We must examine our wisdom and common sense to see how they compare to the wisdom of God, and make adjustments accordingly.